Late at night on July 25, 2026, a faulty refrigerator sparked a fire in a seventh floor apartment at 535 Stockton Street, a building near the crest of Nob Hill sitting above the tunnel that connects Chinatown with Union Square. The San Francisco Standard reported that one of the tenants, Ahmad, a robotics engineer living at the property for about 30 years who asked that his last name be withheld, came home to see firetrucks and an ambulance in front of the building and his neighbors evacuated. Though he was worried for the safety of his pet cat Edward, the fire fortunately did not spread to his unit. Nonetheless, when Ahmad was able to reenter his unit, he found his kitchen floor covered in one inch of standing water, which he promptly mopped up with towels.
535 Stockton, sf.
During the following weeks, construction workers hired by Montgomery Partners, the leasing company in charge of the building, made numerous visits to Ahmad’s apartment, setting up large dehumidifiers and frequently checking to see if the moisture was clearing up.
Finally, on August 14, a notice from David Wasserman, an attorney representing Montgomery Partners, was emailed to tenants residing in 13 of the building's units, including Ahmad, asking them to remove all personal belongings by the 23rd and that any items left behind would be placed into storage. Curiously, the email included no links to a Department of Building Inspection construction permit, nor did it list current rental rates for the affected units. Montgomery Partners also did not send any of these tenants a formal temporary capital improvement eviction notice that must include proof that work has been permitted and an explanation of possible recourse as required by San Francisco's Rent Ordinance. A representative for the Department of Building Inspection also disclosed to the Standard that no new permits had been issued to anyone in charge of the building.
Wasserman also noted that Montgomery Partners would not provide financial assistance to the tenants being ordered to move, apart from refunding rent from August 23 to 31.
In a conversation with the Standard, Christina Varner, executive director of San Francisco’s Rent Board explained, “The temporary capital improvement eviction notice has to contain all the proper documentation about the permits and the game plan. It can’t just be like, ‘Oh, you gotta leave, ’cause we’re gonna do work.’”
Varner also related that the landlord’s decision to not provide financial assistance to the tenants being ordered to move is against City law, which states that landlords must pay $8,245 per displaced tenant if repairs to the property take longer than 20 days. Varner also noted that a lot of landlords may try to avoid paying tenants in such circumstances.
As for Ahmad, whereas the majority of his neighbors affected by the fire packed up their belongings and prepared to move, he has chosen to stay and fight, filing a wrongful eviction claim with the San Francisco Rent Board.
“ I‘m not surrendering possession of my unit,” he vowed. “I’m not gonna vacate.”
Montgomery Partners is an investment firm that boasts control over 2500+ units across four western states, with over $1 billion in real estate transactions and a “commitment to delivering exceptional returns”. They purchased 535 Stockton in 2020.
